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Proposals for George Boole monument

Voting has now closed

A local trust is planning to erect a sculpture of famous Lincoln mathematician George Boole in the city centre.

The Heslam Trust hopes to install the bronze monument at a central location in Lincoln – potentially in the transport hub area.

Two sculptors have submitted proposals and it’s up to the public to decide which they would rather see. Take a look at the proposals below, and then cast your vote online. Alternatively you can vote in the reception at City Hall.

Peter Manton, Chairman of The Heslam Trust, said: “It is clear that George Boole and James Heslam had something in common, their dedication to their communities, and the Trustees are sure that a commemorative work to celebrate George Boole would have been happily approved by James Heslam.

“Couple that with the global importance of George Boole’s influence on the design of computers and we hope you will agree that this important Lincoln genius should have a permanent memorial in the city of his birth.”

George Boole’s legacy surrounds us everywhere – all modern computing devices, including mobile phones and tablets, are essentially derived from the Boolean calculator.

The proposal to erect a sculpture of George Boole is the wish of the Heslam Trustees and the Trust will bear the cost of the work entirely.

Who was George Boole?

Widely recognised as the forefather of the information age, self-taught mathematician George Boole was born in November 1815 and his work forms the basis of computer science and electronic circuitry.

George Boole was born into modest family circumstances in Lincoln, where his father was a shoemaker and his mother a lady’s maid. He went on to work as a teacher and devoted himself to the study of mathematics.

In 1844 he was awarded the Royal Society’s Royal Medal for Mathematics, and became the first Professor of Mathematics at Queen’s College Cork in 1849. There, he developed his most important work – An Investigation of the Laws of Thought.

A stained glass window at Lincoln Cathedral marks Boole’s achievements, and a blue plaque marks his former home and school in Pottergate.